In a Garden Shed, at Midnight
by TMBlue
Summary: COMPLETE! Ron and Hermione meet at the Burrow's garden shed for a little privacy, two weeks after the Battle of Hogwarts.


_**A/N:** This came about from a post I made on Tumblr, asking for smut prompt locations. wildegreenlight submitted "post war smut in the shed," and I'm so glad she did! This was just what I needed to work on while slow burning my way through another chapter fic and agonising over the logistics of another one. Thanks! Hope you all enjoy :)_

* * *

She was navigating outside by wand light, and it was nearly midnight. With complete cloud cover from a storm that had been easing down all day, and nothing but softly lit lanterns inside the house behind her, which was fast receding into hazy fog, she could hardly see a couple of metres ahead of herself, much less make out the shed that she knew was at the very back of the gardens. She cursed his family, just a bit, for being so huge. Since they'd come home to the Burrow, they'd only managed privacy in strange locations and at awkward times - the woods behind the lake at dawn, the loo at three o'clock in the morning...

It had gotten so bad that he'd actually resorted to leaving her a note in the form of a folded scrap of parchment atop her pillow that had just read "shed" in his scratchy handwriting. So, here she was, almost tripping over a tree root as the outline of the garden shed finally came into vague view in front of her.

Charlie was staying in Ron's room with him, and she knew that he and Percy had commandeered it for an argument some hours ago. She guessed it was showing no signs of stopping, and Ron was probably quite frustrated by now.

She finally arrived at the splintering shed door and pushed it open, finding him sitting on the work table at the opposite end, a single candle burning in a jar next to him.

"Hey," she said, as she tugged the door shut forcefully behind herself.

"It's ruddy brilliant being locked out of your own room..." he muttered, pushing off the table to stand and approach her.

"They locked the door?" she asked, shocked.

"Well, not literally. But they might as well've. Can't sleep with them rowing. Wanted to see you anyway, though." He stopped, two steps away from her, his expression changing quickly from annoyed to relieved. "Thanks for coming."

She laughed shortly, shaking her head.

"You don't have to thank me for that."

He shrugged, but a smile tugged at the right corner of his mouth. She closed the remaining steps between them and took his hand. Something about touching him after it had been a few hours continued to make her heart pound faster, her cheeks flush lightly, as if it was the first time, all over again. As he swiped his thumb softly across her knuckles, she glanced down to their hands and sighed.

"Doubt it'll be much better in Australia," she said, conflicted about her own selfishness, but really wishing they could have just a week - a few days, even - to just be alone, before-

"What'd'you mean?"

She glanced back up to meet his tired eyes.

"I just don't think we'll have much time alone if we're staying with my parents."

"Well," he started, flexing his fingers between hers, "I _might_ not be thinking of living here at the Burrow, when we get back…"

She raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"Where would you go?"

"Dunno. Maybe George's flat or someplace with Harry. Don't really think I want to stay with my parents anymore, honestly."

"Oh. Yeah, it's a bit crowded here. But it won't be for long, once everyone goes back to their own homes-"

"Yeah, but…" It was his turn to look down at their hands a bit shyly, licking his bottom lip. "Y'know that's not the main reason. If you wanted to stay over, it'd be a lot easier…"

"Oh," she said, slowly smiling as he glanced back up at her. "I like that plan."

His tentative smile turned to a full grin, and he started to lift his free hand to the side of her neck when a sudden roar erupted, a furious downpour of rain attacking the shed and single window to her left.

"Damn." He lifted his brows as she let go of him and went to the window to look out. Tugging back the thin curtains, she could see the garden flooding as a flash of lightning illuminated the yard.

She felt him move close behind her, and she swallowed, her focus immediately shifting from the storm to much more interesting things. His body was so lightly touching hers, tilting his head to look out the window, over her. She reached back, took ahold of his forearm, and pulled him closer, which immediately resulted in his crotch pressed against her arse. She let go of his arm to lower both palms to the narrow shelf in front of her, ignoring the slightly painful feeling of the uneven edge cutting into her hipbones as he leaned in even closer and groaned. His chest aligned with her back, and she dropped her head backward to his shoulder, shivering.

She used the pressure of her hands on the shelf to push her arse back harder into him, feeling his erection now through his jeans. He slid a hand around her hip until it was half under her shirt in the front.

"Bloody ridiculous I can't get you to a bed..."

"What's wrong with here?" she asked, a bit strangled.

"Fuck. Nothing…" His hand moved up inside her shirt, stopping just at the bottom edge of her bra. His other hand spread over her denim shorts, sliding down to the frayed hem, fingertips arriving at the back of her bare lower thigh.

"Ron…" she breathed, arching her back slightly, desperate for him to touch so much more of her skin.

Too quick for her to immediately comprehend what he was doing, he removed his hands, angling his hips forward to hold her firmly in place as he tilted his shoulders away just enough to shove both hands up the back of her shirt. She leaned forward, automatically, dropping to her elbows on the shelf. It creaked slightly with her weight, but she hardly noticed as he gathered her shirt in his fists at her shoulders.

He shifted his hips away from her. And, for a moment, she thought of calling him back. But then he was bending over her, his lips brushing her spine, and she gasped, her back erupting in gooseflesh as he dragged an open-mouthed kiss down, down… past the clasp of her bra. And she knew he must be on his knees behind her by the time he reached the waistband of her shorts.

His mouth left her skin, and he started to hook his fingers into her belt loops, breathing rapidly behind her. But she stood up straight again and whipped around to face him, her shirt falling back down over her torso as his stunned eyes flashed up to hers. She panted through parted lips, crossed her arms to grasp the bottom of her shirt, and ripped it off over her head, tossing it to the floor. Her chest heaved, breasts barely contained by her slightly-too-small pink bra. He spread his hands over her sides, ducking his head to kiss her stomach, and she closed her eyes.

Her whole body was twitching with desire. It had been less than twenty-four hours since the last time they'd been together like this, but it felt like a lifetime. She recalled his words before about wishing they had a bed to use, and she considered how funny it actually was that they'd shagged nearly a dozen times in two weeks and not once had been on a mattress. But it didn't matter, and his hands were moving up her body again, and all she wanted was for him to remember how to unclasp her bra without her having to turn around so that she could feel his lips and teeth closing around her hardened nipples-

"God. You're amazing…" he muttered, and she thought it was incredibly level-headed of him to consider what he did next…

He stood up and slid his wand from his back pocket, flicking it at the shelf, now behind her. And, when she pressed a hand back down against it again, she realised it was now completely sturdy and strong. He half-smiled at her and shrugged as she laughed. But then his wand was clattering to the floor and his hands were on her again, behind her back, working on her bra and managing it in such a record speed that she had to give him an impressed eyebrow raise as he slid the straps down her arms, exposing her chest and dropping her bra to the floor to join her shirt.

She moved her own hands up the front of his shirt so fast that by the time he could even close the space between them, they were suddenly skin to skin, his shirt bunched at his collarbones as they let out simultaneous moans of pleasure, his eyelids fluttering slightly as he tightly gripped her waist with both hands. She shimmied back against the shelf and watched his neck move as he swallowed… just before he dropped his hands to her arse and lifted her. She parted her legs, attempting to scramble his shirt off his body, but his arms were in the way. Noting her frustration, he extricated his hands from between her arse and the shelf and reached for the back of his shirt, tugging it forward, ducking as he pulled it over his head and threw it carelessly over his shoulder.

It must have occurred to him at the same moment that it occurred her. They hadn't kissed yet.

She widened her legs, his erection pressing to her centre, and she clung to his neck with both hands, pulling him down to her lips at the same moment that he grasped her face in both hands, thumbs swiping over her cheeks and making her shudder with such a strong combination of love and lust. Their parted lips met, half-breathing into each other as she felt his body tense with pleasure and then relax into her, pushing heavily against her, tongue swiping her bottom lip as she trembled out a squeaky moan. She met his tongue with her own, twisting her fingers up into his hair and hooking an ankle around his thigh to hold him tighter between her legs.

He drew his mouth back to pant against her lips, hands falling to her bare shoulders.

"Bloody… hell…"

"Can't believe we're doing this," she said, somewhat irrationally, considering this was far from the first time.

"What?" he breathed, clearly too consumed with lust to even make an attempt at understanding her.

"This... just _everything_ ," she said, realising how close she suddenly was to crying from happiness. "Wanted you, so long… and now… now it's real. Still can't believe it's real."

"Fuck, Hermione," he choked. "I love you."

"No matter what happens, you think you'll-" she tried to say, but the words caught in her throat, and he ducked to kiss her neck before sliding his lips up to her ear. She could feel him shaking as he spoke in such a low rumble of a voice.

"Never stop loving you. Never stop wanting you."

"Love you, so much," she whispered, almost incapable of response now, throat constricted with more emotion than even _she_ had ever thought possible.

And, just when she thought she really couldn't take feeling anything more, he moved his face back enough to smile at her, his eyes filled with so much awe and a distant sort of disbelief. He really, _really_ , loved her the same way she loved him.

"Can't wait much longer," she whispered, scraping her nails down his chest, delighted by the shivery breath he exhaled from her touch.

"Good," he nearly growled, releasing her and reaching for his jeans button, working it free and lowering the zipper as she worked on her own. He shed his jeans and pants in one, kicking them away and going for her shorts in the brief single second pause she took to admire his naked body. She gasped as he tugged her to the very edge of the shelf, and she lifted her hips as he somewhat roughly ripped her shorts and knickers off, dropping them to the floor with the rest of their clothing and using both hands to part her legs again, fingers curling around her thighs.

She stared at him, hard… slightly shocked by his sharp actions. He caught her eyes and licked his lips.

"Sorry," he whispered. But she quickly shook her head.

"Oh my God, that was hot."

His eyebrows shot up.

"Seriously?"

She nodded, cheeks burning, waves of heat radiating from his body as she tugged his legs with her heels again until she could feel his erection hard against her inner thigh.

"Kiss me again," she requested, and he hardly put one full second between her request and his compliance.

He bit down lightly on her lower lip as she ran her tongue along his top one, and then his hands were in her hair, fingers spreading down her back, pushing her chest against his. He broke away too soon, but she forgave him immediately as his lips slid down her neck and he bent awkwardly to clasp his teeth around her right nipple. She hissed with pleasure and yanked his hair, and his hand moved to cover her left breast. She pushed her chest hard into his hand and his mouth, nerves building between her legs, little waves of pleasure hitting her as he released her and crouched even lower.

"Can I-" he stated to ask, but she nodded her head instinctively as she knew what he was about to do. Her face was on fire, a thin layer of sweat coating her neck and sternum… and then his head was between her legs and his lips were around her, and she couldn't gasp in a full breath, anymore. So, she steadied herself with both palms pressing down to the shelf, on either side of her hips, angling her body closer to his mouth… closer…

"Oh _God_ , Ron…"

She could almost feel him deciding on his next move, and then his hand was moving, one long finger sliding inside of her as she moaned loudly, beyond embarrassment at her own sounds as she was too consumed by _feeling_.

But then, she didn't want to be. Not yet.

"Wait!"

He jolted away from her and removed his hand.

"What?" He looked so adorably startled that she had to forcefully repress laughter, even in her current state.

"Get up here."

"But-"

"Could you hand me that blanket?" She pointed to a folded tartan on the table behind him. Still looking confused, he stood and reached for it, turning back around to give it to her. She unfolded it and shifted until it was covering the shelf underneath her arse.

"Oh! Bugger. Sorry. You okay?"

"Yes," she smiled. "That wasn't why I stopped you. Come here."

He moved between her parted legs, groaning as his erection brushed her hot wetness. She could hardly think straight, let alone string together a coherent thought.

"Together," she said, aware of the fact that she wasn't making much sense. But he seemed to catch on enough to morph his expression from still slightly confused to completely turned on and ready.

"Holy shiiiit, you feel amazing," he breathed, agonisingly sliding his erection against her opening.

She looped her arms around his neck, pressed her forehead to his, and arched her back slightly. He swallowed, staring into her eyes as he grasped her waist… and buried himself inside of her in one thrust.

She let out something between a shaky moan and a scream, listening to his own mirrored sounds as he twitched, one hand spreading on her lower back now, holding her steady as he began to slide in and out of her, increasing his pace as her nails dug into his shoulder blades. He was hitting a spot so deep inside of her as he pressed his open mouth to her temple, letting go of her waist to pinch her left nipple. She arched her back, hard, elbows bending so her forearms curved up, fingers weaving into his hair. And she rocked her hips, finding the perfect friction of her now far too sensitive nerves, tightening her jaw as he ducked his head and bit her ear lightly.

She could feel how close he was, and she didn't want him to slow down or stop, so she urged him on, moving with him, parting her lips to breathe against his jaw.

" _Ermynee_ ," he groaned, dragging a hand down to clench her thigh as he came, warmth spreading inside her as she continued to move.

He lifted his head, dazed, but he must have had enough clarity left to follow what she needed because he squeezed his hand between their bodies and barely touched her before she clamped her eyes shut and shuddered, waves of pleasure spreading out to vibrate through her arms and legs.

She collapsed backward onto her elbows, head falling dangerously close to the window sill. His hand shot out to cover the back of her head and protect her, and her eyes popped open, body still the approximate consistency of pudding, but her heart overflowing with… everything.

"Careful," he said softly, smiling at her as she melted. "Wanna lie down?"

She could barely nod, but he understood, and he gathered her upright again, sliding out of her and shocking her by hooking one arm under her legs, the other behind her shoulders, and picking her up.

"What are you doing?!" she half-laughed, half-shouted.

"Grab that blanket," he laughed back, and she snatched it up, noticing that his muscles were shaking slightly.

"If you drop me, I'll murder you!"

"Calm down," he grinned. "Got you."

He navigated a few steps deeper into the shed, stopping in front of the wide table where he'd been sitting when she'd arrived, and he finally lowered her legs to the floor. He took the blanket from her, shook it open, and spread it on the floor, tugging her hand until she sat on her knees with him. And, as if his body had finally given up completely, he collapsed onto his back, closing his eyes and breathing erratically through his mouth. She blinked at him, watching as he grinned, even with his eyes still shut.

She pressed her lips together and maneuvered between his bicep and his chest, lowering her head to his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her back and sighed contentedly. She draped her own arm across his stomach and let her eyes roam lazily over his body.

"We can't fall asleep out here," she said softly.

"Why not?"

She laughed, shaking her head against his arm.

"We're naked."

"Hm. True." He gathered her closer, opening his eyes and turning his face toward her to press a lazy kiss to the mess of curls on top of her head.

"I wish we _could_ stay," she added, because there was really nothing that sounded better to her than to fall asleep together, just like this.

"Sod it. We can get dressed in a minute. There's another blanket on the shelf, over there. And if anybody finds us, I basically got kicked out of my own bloody room anyway, so…"

She lifted her head to stare at him, and he blinked very slowly, staring back.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I really don't care anymore."

"Won't your mum hex me?"

"No way. If she even finds us, it'll be my fault, trust me."

As terrified as she had been about the idea of his parents discovering them any one of the many times they had disappeared somewhere together, she was nearly convinced to let it go now by how casual he was being. It really didn't bother him. But… why not?

"Why are you so okay with this?"

"Dunno. We survived a bloody war. And… we love each other," he added, smiling. "And, my parents love you. If I have to do an awkward talk with them, it's fine. They'll get over it."

The final bits of apprehension that remained slowly faded away, and the thought of spending the whole night together, for the first time, was too exciting to argue against.

"Okay," she smiled back.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking more than a bit stunned that she'd actually agreed.

"You've got nowhere to sleep, and Ginny snores."

He laughed and tugged her closer, tangling his fingers in her hair as she rubbed her cheek against his chest and softly shut her eyes.

Several incredibly comfortable seconds ticked past. And then her eyes shot open.

"Okay," she said, sitting up, "but we have to get dressed, right now. I almost fell asleep."

He slowly blinked open his eyes, and she stared pointedly at him.

"Not sure I can move," he grinned.

She smacked him lightly and got up, crossed back to where they had unceremoniously discarded all their clothing, gathered everything up in her arms, and returned to him, dropping the full pile to his stomach. He let out a surprised grunt and sat up.

"Made your point!" he teased, and they began sorting through clothes, removing their own items and standing to pull everything back on again.

"We can make this a bit more comfortable," she said, removing her wand from her shorts and waving it at their blanket, which suddenly thickened considerably. "Accio," she added, and a second blanket zoomed over from the shelves. She caught it and stretched back out on the floor as he resumed his position on his back, gathering her against his side, covering them with their second blanket, and shifting around to get comfortable.

"Maybe we should set an alarm?" she suggested, as a final measure of protection.

"Sure." He held up his right wrist but couldn't reach his watch with his left arm trapped around her. She caught on and smiled, reaching up to turn the alarm back several hours.

They settled again, and she could feel his heart beating against her hand. She had never before realised how comforting that could be.

"Better get used to this," she said sleepily, as she closed her eyes. "Can't expect me to go back to sleeping alone."

"Deal," he said, and she could hear his delighted smile through that one single word.


End file.
